Is this course right for me?

Plain Words offers three standard report writing courses:

Structuring & Writing Reports is designed for delegates with little or no previous report writing experience, who have reached a stage in their careers that require them to start producing written business reports.

Business & Report Writing for Managers is aimed at delegates who are already writing reports but want to revisit the basics, generally raise their game and ensure they are using best practice techniques. It is also frequently chosen by clients who need to achieve greater consistency from their experienced staff.

Writing Technical Documents & Reports is a technical writing course designed to build on the skills of Scientists, Engineers, Technicians, Designers and Project Managers who write technical documents or reports. It concentrates on the principles and processes involved in communicating technical information effectively, whether to the layman or the expert.

All three courses address some similar concepts, but the content is pitched differently for each of the intended audiences to take into account their different levels of experience and the documents they write.

How we deliver the course

It is available as an open course in London or a private tutor-led course at your premises.

Our open courses in London

We deliver our Writing Technical Documents & Reports course at venues in central London, all easily accessible by public transport. All the rooms have natural daylight, independent air conditioning and free Wi-Fi.

If your journey into London means an early start, don't worry; on your arrival you can have a light and tasty breakfast of fresh bread, pastries, cereals and fruit. Throughout the day there's an endless supply of freshly brewed coffee and speciality teas as well as chilled water, fruit and homemade snacks.

Course Contents

1. A framework for success

The BASDELL business writing model – a model of the process to create effective technical documents and reports

Pre-Course Questionnaire

When you book we send you a questionnaire which we ask you to return to us before you attend the course. This enables our Trainers to assess your needs in advance.

2. Understanding your brief

What’s the purpose of a technical document or report?

Assessing the issues and focusing on the essentials

Setting a clear objective to save you time and effort

Building on the skills you have

3. Analysing your audience

Questions you need to ask yourself about your readers

Producing a clear set of guidelines on what response you want from each reader

Understanding different readers and giving them what they need—and in their preferred style and format

4. Designing your structure

The benefits of structuring before you start writing

Using techniques like mind mapping™ or Word™ Outline View to sequence and structure your material

Ensuring your structure supports and delivers what you want from your audience

Breaking the job down into manageable chunks

5. Creating your executive summary

What is the purpose of the executive summary?

Why it’s the most important part of your report

How to structure your executive summary

What are the most important things to include?

6. Developing your style

Plain Words’ eight principles for clear writing

How to keep sentences short and simple – even though the content is technical